Losing Game 1 to the CTBC Brothers 10-4 in the Taiwan Series opener on Saturday was a tough blow for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, but the potential loss of Gu Lin Ruei-yang for the game and the series might have been even worse.
In a rematch of the 2021 Taiwan Series, the fireballer was pulled at the beginning of the fourth inning due to back tightness, after tossing three scoreless innings before a sellout crowd in the 40,000-seat Taipei Dome.
Gu Lin felt tightness early in the game, with signs appearing as early as the second inning when he walked Tseng Song-en, Uni-Lions manager Lin Yueh-ping said after the game.
Photo: CNA
“He is [being checked] in the hospital now. We will re-evaluate his condition when he comes to the field tomorrow, but we have to extend the series first to give him a chance [to take the mound again],” Lin added.
Gu Lin, 24, led the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) with a 1.66 ERA over 21 starts. His 10 wins made him the only Taiwanese player among the 10 starting pitchers in the CPBL with double-digit wins.
Prior to Game 1, much attention had been paid to Gu Lin, who is widely expected to sign a contract after this season with an overseas franchise in the US or Japan.
Gu Lin’s early exit with the Uni-Lions leading 3-0 proved decisive, as the Brothers scored at least one run in the next three innings, including seven runs in the sixth inning that gave them an insurmountable lead.
In contrast, Brothers starting pitcher Jose de Paula rebounded from a disastrous first inning, in which he gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. The Dominican lefty shut out the Uni-Lions over the next six innings to be named the game’s most valuable player.
“The first inning was a bit chaotic, but I didn’t give up and always told myself to keep going,” De Paula said via an interpreter.
It was the Brothers’ ninth straight victory over the Uni-Lions in the Taiwan Series. The opening game win in the best-of-seven series also gave the team a 77.8 percent chance to capture this year’s title, said Blue Wei, an anchor for ELTA TV.
The next two games being played in the Taipei Dome would also help the Brothers, if past performance holds true.
While the Brothers played the league’s most games there with a league-leading .679 winning percentage, the Uni-Lions have played in the indoor baseball stadium only six times and recorded the league’s lowest winning rate there.
In its five games against the Brothers at the dome, the Uni-Lions lost four times.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
RSS